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The Leftovers |OT| Left Behind With Damon Lindelof - Sundays 10/9c

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Good episode. Laurie is a very good character, I really feel her struggle. Pretty impressive performance by Amy Brenneman to be able to sell that without saying a word.
 

royalan

Member
Good episode. Laurie is a very good character, I really feel her struggle. Pretty impressive performance by Amy Brenneman to be able to sell that without saying a word.

But what is she selling? We know nothing about her, why she's with the GR, and what she hopes to gain by being there.

One minute she seems resolute.

The next she seems seconds away from running back to her family.

One minute she seems to like the Top Dog's right hand in command. A veteran in this thing.

Then, at the first sign of major opposition, she's having existential panic attacks.

Which is it? What's going on? There's literally no rhyme or reason for any of her actions right now...so she just comes off as one-note depressed...like pretty much everyone else.
 
"I say fuck too"
I laughed pretty hard at that.

They are totally Jack and Locke and they need more scenes together.
But what is she selling? We know nothing about her, why she's with the GR, and what she hopes to gain by being there.

One minute she seems resolute.

The next she seems seconds away from running back to her family.

One minute she seems to like the Top Dog's right hand in command. A veteran in this thing.

Then, at the first sign of major opposition, she's having existential panic attacks.

Which is it? What's going on? There's literally no rhyme or reason for any of her actions right now...so she just comes off as one-note depressed...like pretty much everyone else.
You see both sides of that as she tries to be dedicated to the GR, but feels the undeniable pull of her family. I do feel that we need to find out why she joined the GR and felt the need to leave her family though.
 
Enjoyed the episode. Funny, when they first grabbed that woman and off, I was quite happy and thinking to myself "About damn time!" Moments later, I was hoping every other hit was the last..it wasn't lol. That Shit was pretty intense..certainly not expected.
 

StuBurns

Banned
Not the worst episode, but really not good.

Firstly, I don't understand this 'is Garvey mad?' thing.
Is the dog killer real? Oh, yeah.
Did the bagel disappear? Oh, no.
Did he leave eight shirts at the drycleaners? Oh, yeah.

What are we meant to take away from this frequent, heavy handed, and seemingly pointless cycle?

Why is law enforcement some insane slaughter machine in this show? Wayne's compound was like a scene from Zero Dark Thirty, now the FBI are offering a religious genocide by phone service? And speaking of the phone call, when he rang, it displayed his name, later when the conversation became absurd, it said the caller was unknown? Is that a continuity mistake or another hint that Garvey is crazy, despite the fact he clearly isn't?

That scene with Nora, when you stop looking for something it turns up, reminded me of when Sun lost her wedding ring... In Lost... Remember Lost? Man that show was pretty good.

This is turning into Newsroom. HBO buying these showrunners, getting them to make the same thing they already did, only much much worse.
 
We are now midway through the first season.

I challenge anyone to write a coherent summary of what has happened in these first five episodes.

Damon Lindelof is a grossly incompetent storyteller. If it somehow weren't obvious before this show, it certainly should be now.
 

BadAss2961

Member
This is turning into Newsroom. HBO buying these showrunners, getting them to make the same thing they already did, only much much worse.
Nah, at least this has some mystery and a cool ass overly dramatic theme that plays when shit is going down. I'm still intrigued by how off the wall it is.

The Newsroom is just about a crew of unlikeable fast-talking douchebags and their boring lives at the office.
 

schwupp

Member
Enjoyed the episode. Funny, when they first grabbed that woman and off, I was quite happy and thinking to myself "About damn time!" Moments later, I was hoping every other hit was the last..it wasn't lol. That Shit was pretty intense..certainly not expected.

i'm with you on the kill them all part ....
 

Vert boil

Member
She was going to die from the very first frame and damn, that was beautiful.


They need to do a remake of Breaking Bad with gender swapped roles.
leftovers1tcjxh.gif
 
Holy shit the opening 3 minutes. What the fuck.

Anyway, fantastic episode. So good to have the Garvey's not be the main focus. Still hate the cult though, seems completely unnecessary and I'm surprised it took three years before someone took matters into their own hands.

Trying to make people remember what they want to forget. I haven't seen anything that even remotely hints at people trying to forget the 'event'. This cult and its motivations are just so damn stupid.

And sweet Jesus at Jill's crying. Goddamn....I was laughing my ass for a good five minutes after that scene.
 
We are now midway through the first season.

I challenge anyone to write a coherent summary of what has happened in these first five episodes.

Damon Lindelof is a grossly incompetent storyteller. If it somehow weren't obvious before this show, it certainly should be now.

I couldn't agree more. I don't know what the critics that are still giving this positive reviews are seeing in it. There's absolutely nothing there.
 
We are now midway through the first season.

I challenge anyone to write a coherent summary of what has happened in these first five episodes.

Damon Lindelof is a grossly incompetent storyteller. If it somehow weren't obvious before this show, it certainly should be now.

Well,

The main character is a shallow cunt who slowly going mad or is he? dun, dun duuuun His daughter is a nihilist because drama, his wife and son are both crazy and involved in cults because drama.

There's a cult whose main motivation is to make sure people don't forget something they have shown no desire to forget and they aim to achieve this by acting like tremendous cunts.

There's dogs, a dog killer, burnt bagels and a dry cleaners who likes whites shirt a lot.
 
...am I the only one that's sure the GR killed her themselves?

Hmm, now that you mention it, that does seem like a real possibility.

There was a moment where they stopped when she begged them to stop, perhaps they were taken aback someone would break their 'vow' not to talk?

Why would they do it though? It's not like her death will elicit any sympathy from the wider community. She broke one the rules? Maybe she was an undercover agent?
 

Matt

Member
Hmm, now that you mention it, that does seem like a real possibility.

There was a moment where they stopped when she begged them to stop, perhaps they were taken aback someone would break their 'vow' not to talk?

Why would they do it though? It's not like her death will elicit any sympathy from the wider community. She broke one the rules? Maybe she was an undercover agent?

Yeah, I actually thought the clues were heavy handed, and I was very surprised when I came in here and no one was talking about that.

There could be a ton of reasons, or no reasons, just like everything in this show.
 

Saty

Member
Case in point, the restaurant scene with Laurie and the GR leader who goes on with a speech how hard the path they taken and how hard the alternative to be with their families is. It's supposed to be heartfelt, we're supposed to care, the character opening up a bit, gain some understanding..but it's all for naught because WE HAVE NO IDEA WHY SHE'S IMPOSED THIS LIFESTYLE ON HERSELF! What is she trying to achieve? What happened to her? What's the purpose of the GR and why everybody in it is so adamant about it? Why is their MO to abuse the community and be dickish to people and not help old men with their groceries? What's the insistence on smoking and their other customs? Why would anyone in the world establish a group that cherishes the Event that acts like the GR acts? Why people who weren't affected by the Departure sign up to the GR? What's the motivation?

Spill the freaking beans. And unlike Lost, the mystery is only a mystery to the viewer. The characters know all that info so it's not like we can comfort ourselves with the fact that everybody is in the same boat. The characters have most of the answers but we aren't hearing anything. 5 episodes in they could have peppered the knowledge in a way that isn't a lecture that would be against the 'show-don't-tell' narrative ground 'rule'.

The leader mentions to Laurie about a thing Laurie told her to do 'in the last session before everything changed'. Was Laurie a shrink and had that woman as her patient? And is 'before everything changed' = the event?

--
Those weren't Garvey's white shirts, right? They don't have those golden threads. Not sure what's the point of that. More color to this unstable behavior?

Doesn't Aimee's family care she is spending all days and all nights at Jill's house?

Does every city has it's it own GR-like cult? News report mention one cult with a different name, the ATF agent mentioned another.
--
The irony about all the Lost comparisons and doing the same mistakes is that this show could have actually benefited from Flashbacks that deal with the first months after the event and fill the gaps of those 3 years like the formation of the GR and it's damned deal.
 

Saty

Member
Yeah, I actually thought the clues were heavy handed, and I was very surprised when I came in here and no one was talking about that.

There could be a ton of reasons, or no reasons, just like everything in this show.
Eh, maybe. Not sure what was that meeting between Gladys and the leader in the first scene of the Ep and he head-nodding so maybe it has something to do with it? And the rest of the GR were completely tight-lipped when Garvey came over and alerted them. But that's how the GR always are. So yeah, it may go that way, this aimlessness.
 

Matt

Member
Eh, maybe. Not sure what was that meeting between Gladys and the leader in the first scene of the Ep and he head-nodding so maybe it has something to do with it? And the rest of the GR were completely tight-lipped when Garvey came over and alerted them. But that's how the GR always are. So yeah, it may go that way, this aimlessness.

There is the meeting, the flash from Laurie, and the what's her name's whole vile behavior.
 

Saty

Member
There is the meeting, the flash from Laurie, and the what's her name's whole vile behavior.

Yeah, that brief flashback cut was WTF because why would Laurie be remembering that as if she was there?
But why would the leader have that kind of meeting with Gladys? 'We've found you out and are going to kill you'? Makes no sense. Maybe Gladys volunteered to be killed so the GR can set in motion whatever they planned this killing to set? Or the meeting would be later clarified as the leader setting the trap and sending her to that mission\place where she told the others to be ready to take and kill her.

But yeah, that Laurie flashback could be the best evidence of an inside job.
 

Matt

Member
Yeah, that brief flashback cut was WTF because why would Laurie be remembering that as if she was there?
But why would the leader have that kind of meeting with Gladys? 'We've found you out and are going to kill you'? Makes no sense. Maybe Gladys volunteered to be killed so the GR can set in motion whatever they planned this killing to set? Or the meeting would be later clarified as the leader setting the trap and sending her to that mission\place where she told the others to be ready to take and kill her.

But yeah, that Laurie flashback could be the best evidence of an inside job.

I saw it as the Leader told Gladys that they were going to kill her, and she "accepted" it, but during the act she (understandably) changed her mind.
 

Saty

Member
I saw it as the Leader told Gladys that they were going to kill her, and she "accepted" it, but during the act she (understandably) changed her mind.

But why would the leader 'surprise' her when it's coming if they agreed on it? Choose the time&place and let Gladys say farewell however she like and then continue with the deed.
 
I don't put anything past the GR at this point. The brutal killing is the perfect ploy to garner the sympathy that they certainly do not deserve. I think the lady being stoned to death would not have broken her silence if they were an unknown group of attackers. In the way I think they're telling the story, a martyr would have kept quiet and not vocalized any response that the assailants were inflicting pain on her.

The chewing tobacco dog killer is real, yes!!

Garvey IS losing his mind. He used his position of power to just force the dry cleaners to give him any old 8 white shirts in fear of violence. And he has the temptation of Aimee at home or Nora from afar. If and when he cracks, how bad will it be for those surrounding him?
 

Saty

Member
Trainee-s are allowed to speak until they are allowed in as a member. Which she did at the end of this episode.

OK, i'm feeling bad for cutting this, but here we go. Warning, graphic violence ahead:
http://a.pomf.se/dyjphg.webm


Working on the whistling.
 

Matt

Member
But why would the leader 'surprise' her when it's coming if they agreed on it? Choose the time&place and let Gladys say farewell however she like and then continue with the deed.

Forensic evidence, makes it seem more real to investigators.
 

Dany

Banned
Yeah I liked th episode. Laurie is really growing on me.
Kevin is a stupid lead, how did that guy ever become chief?
 
This show.

Certainly different from anything I've watched before. In that sense I really like it. On the other hand, I'm not really sure if I need a weekly dose of profound, limitless sadness manifested in the form of entertainment. Such tragedy and brokenness. Shattered souls everywhere. idk.
 

Brakke

Banned
This show blows. But I saw a lot of people blogsin' about how they're quitting the show after this week, so I'm going to watch up to that one to see what all the hubbub is about.

Bur! I just watched last week's (with the nativity), and I will congratulate them at least on putting a dick on screen, even if it's a flaccid mental institution dick.
 

Erigu

Member
I just watched last week's (with the nativity), and I will congratulate them at least on putting a dick on screen, even if it's a flaccid mental institution dick.
I didn't notice it, myself. Guess my eyes were too busy rolling back into my head.
 

RPS37

Member
Am I the only one thinking this show has gotten pretty good after the first couple episodes?
I'm kind of starting to dig it.
I can't wait to see what little thing is bugging the chief next week.
 

Grizzo

Member
This show is still a mess, but I'll stick around to see what this was all about (I'm not gonna get any answer, right?).
 

Deku Tree

Member
The main problem with this show is that it's dull and it has uninteresting characters with no hooks. They want you to be intrigued by the nothingness but instead there is nothing to be intrigued by. I can't believe that I watched all the episodes so far.
 
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